The historic Coliseum Ballroom, located on the 1926-34 alignment of Route 66 in Benld, Ill., is for sale, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The asking price: $210,000. 

And maybe, just maybe, the Coliseum will be returned to its original incarnation — a live-music venue.

And both of two prospective buyers would like to see the 82-year-old landmark returned to its original use, said Esther Kacer of Landmark Realty in Edwardsville, which lists the property.

In its heyday, the Coliseum had the biggest dance floor (10,000 square feet) between Chicago and St. Louis and featured the orchestras of Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Kay Kyser, Count Basie and most of the other big-name big bands - the megastars of popular music from the 1920s into the 1940s.

Situated along old Route 66 (now Illinois Route 4), the Coliseum is said to have attracted crowds that sometimes topped 2,000, from all over central Illinois and metropolitan St. Louis.

The popularity of the big bands faded, but the Coliseum continued to draw crowds for nationally known acts such as the Everly Brothers, Fats Domino, Johnny Rivers and Ray Charles. In its later years, the ballroom mostly featured local rock bands before closing about a decade ago.

Current owners Dave and Cheryl Hammond operated an antiques mall in the building before they bought the old high school in nearby Livingston and moved their business there several months ago. The old ballroom continued to lure visitors, Cheryl Hammond said.

"People came because it was the Coliseum," she said. "It never stopped until the day we closed."

The article also includes stories about Benld's more lawless days, including a connection to Chicago crime kingpin Al Capone.

It's recommended reading.